Muay Thai Training at Muay Saigon - Part 2: First Day

On the evening of Tuesday, March 11, only a few days after our return from the Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission, we packed the training gear we brought from home, boarded a taxi, and made our way to our first class with Muay Saigon.

Muay Thai Training at Muay Saigon - Part 1: Discovery

The moment we decided that we were moving to Vietnam for an extended period of time, I drafted a mental list of all of the things that I wanted to do while in the country.

One of these things was practice Muay Thai.

Lá thư của người "mẹ nuôi": "Trẻ em Campuchia được sách và đồ tập võ mới"

Trước khi về Mỹ, tôi đã có một cơ hội rất thú vị, đó là được giúp các trẻ Việt Nam và Campuchia mà tôi đã dạy võ tự vệ trong suốt 10 tháng tôi sống ở VN. Mục đích của tôi là quyên góp tiền để mua học cụ, sách đọc giải trí, đồ tập võ tự vệ và chi phí đi lại (đi xem phim, chơi ở công viên nước, v.v.). Trong ba tuần chiến dịch quyên góp được thực hiện, các bạn và gia đình tôi đã đóng góp $3,770 (vượt quá chỉ tiêu $2,000 chỉ trong hai ngày).

Tuần trước, người "mẹ nuôi" các em ở Campuchia đã viết hai lá thư (bên dưới) để cho tôi biết họ đã dùng tiền như thế nào.

Sống trong tiếng Việt

Vừa về Seattle được một tháng, các bạn hỏi tôi nhớ những gì nhất ở Việt Nam. Tôi thường trả lời là tôi nhớ nhiều, chẳng hạn như bạn bè, những đứa trẻ mà tôi đã dạy võ tự vệ, cộng đồng Salsa, món ăn Việt Nam, thậm chí là giao thông phức tạp. Khi giải thích về những thứ này, thì các bạn có thể hình dung và biết được. Tuy nhiên, có một điều cá nhân về kinh nghiệm sống ở Việt Nam vừa khó giải thích vừa khó hình dung.

Đó là việc học và nói tiếng Việt hàng ngày là một hoạt động thử thách trí não.

Tả Phời, Lào Cai: Delivering Tết Gifts to an Ethnic Mountain Tribe

On January 22, 2014, Thuy and I joined a group of missionaries on a three-day, two-night trip to the northeastern city of Lào Cai, in Lào Cai province (so nice they named it twice).

Lào Cai borders China. When I say "borders," I mean we can literally see into China from the front of our hotel.

We had many reasons for visiting Lào Cai. One of these reasons involved visiting and delivering Tết (Lunar New Year) gifts to the members of an ethnic mountain tribe in Tả Phời, a small village just outside of Lào Cai city.

This was one of the most memorable experiences of our overall stay in Vietnam. Below is a photo diary of our trip.

What "Vietnamese People Are Friendly" Can Actually Mean

There are many reasons why foreigners love living in Vietnam. You'll hear explanations such as "Vietnam has a comparatively low cost of living," "It's easy to find a job as an English teacher and live comfortably," "Vietnam is very entrepreneurial," and "Vietnamese people are very friendly."

I want to explore that last reason, the friendliness of the Vietnamese people, on a deeper and more personal level.

I believe that this local friendliness that a foreigner living in Vietnam will experience can become an unexpected and addictive boost to their ego.

Thus begins the story of why living in Vietnam was an absolute psychological upper for me.

Vietnamese Discriminating Against...Vietnamese?

During the three months of living alone in Vietnam, I had more time to get better acquainted with my Vietnamese friends. As such, I got multiple views into what living in Vietnam is like from their local perspective.

One topic that seemed to incite irritation and frustration was the workplace preferential treatment towards non-Vietnamese in general and Anglo-Saxon foreigners in particular. While this type of treatment may not be the norm across the country, it's a reality that some of my Vietnamese friends have encountered at some point in their professional career, or continue to face in their current job.

The following paraphrased anecdotes will give you an idea on what this kind of preferential treatment looks like.

Phụ nữ ơi! Hãy tập võ tự vệ!

Mỗi nước có một số liệu riêng, nhưng một bài của UN Women Australia cho rằng 1/3 phụ nữ có thể gặp phải bạo lực trong cuộc sống của mình, và 1/5 phụ nữ là nạn nhân bạo lực tình dục trong cuộc sống. Cứ cho là 20% là số liệu miêu tả thế giới. Nếu người ta sử dụng số liệu này để miêu tả Việt Nam, thì điều này có nghĩa là chừng 9.2 triệu phụ nữ Việt Nam là nạn nhân của bạo lực tình dục.
Theo ý kiến tôi thì số liệu này sẽ không giảm xuống tự nhiên.

Chính vì vậy mà tôi xin viết về bốn lý do tại sao phụ nữ nên tập võ tự vệ.

Difficulties Foreigners Face Studying Vietnamese in Saigon

The following is an English version of an essay I wrote in Vietnamese entitled "Những khó khăn người nước ngoài gặp phải khi học tiếng Việt ở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh."

This will obviously read differently from my regular posts, in that this is a structured essay and not a narrative hastily reorganized into something coherent and semi-intelligible.

Nevertheless, this was still fun to write (in both languages) because I could finally reflect on and relay some of my experiences with learning Vietnamese in three completely different places, the University of Washington (GO DAWGS!), Ha Noi, and Saigon. For those studying Vietnamese, perhaps this will resonate with or even help you in your studies. For everyone else, I hope that you'll enjoy this nuanced glimpse into the life of someone studying Vietnamese.

Lastly, I realize talking about regional Vietnamese accents can actually be a touchy subject. Southerners call northerners "bắc kỳ," and northerns call southerners "nam kỳ." No one agrees on what is considered to be "standard Vietnamese" -- although I will argue in a future post that there is no such thing as a standard Vietnamese accent. Many people do seem to agree, however, that NO ONE can understand people from the central region (sorry Huế peeps, much love).

Basically, note that these are my personal observations only. I'll gladly welcome your comments telling me that I'm right or wrong, but please refrain from -- and I can't believe I'm typing this... -- putting down regional accents or engaging in debates about which accent is better, more correct, etc.

Những khó khăn người nước ngoài gặp phải khi học Tiếng Việt ở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh

Tôi viết bài này để chia sẻ kinh nghiệm về việc học tiếng Việt ở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (và cũng để tập viết bài bằng tiếng Việt). Nếu bạn có ý kiến về nội dung của bài này thì xin chia sẻ ở comment section ở dưới. Nếu bạn thấy lỗi chính tả hay nghĩ tôi có thể viết gì đó hay hơn thì xin gửi message riêng cho tôi. Tôi đã sửa bài này với cô giáo hai lần trước khi post trên đây, hy vọng không có lỗi :)

Cảm ơn các bạn!

How to Renew Your Passport Entry Permit Stamp

Around the second week of June I remembered that my three-month permit stamp in my passport was going to expire at the end of the month. To get a new stamp, I was planning to leave the country for a couple of days; I would get a new three-month stamp on my way back into Vietnam.

Brian, a fellow expat friend and co-founder of Saigoneer (check out the website, it's a fantastic glimpse into life and culture Saigon) and his wife, Chau, clued me in on another method to getting a permit stamp, one that wouldn't require me to spend time and money leaving the country.

Life in a Homogenous Country: White = Native Speaker

A boss to his employee, an English teacher from the UK: "Well, you look a little young to be teaching [English to] adults. But, you're Caucasian, so that's good."

Having spent eight months in HCMC, I thought I'd share a few of the more unique and potentially awkward experiences that come with being a non-white foreigner living in a homogeneous country such as Vietnam. Many of these experiences revolve around the racial dynamics, divides, and biases among locals, white foreigners, and non-white foreigners.

These types of issues aren't easy to discuss. However, I strongly feel that they are worth bringing up, as each discussion helps us inch closer towards a better and more mutual understanding of one another beyond the biases and stereotypes we've accumulated since childhood.

In this particular instance, I'm exploring the automatic relationship drawn between being a white foreigner and being a native English speaker.

"Are you fluent" Is Not the Right Question

A week or so ago I wrote on Facebook a micro-critique about the question a language learner usually gets asked when the topic of their language studies comes up in a conversation.

"So, are you fluent [yet]?"

Fluency is a highly subjective term that, for lack of any better measurement, gets tossed around as an awkwardly reductive and inaccurate way to assess a person's skill in a language. This post explores why this question doesn't work and suggests a more engaging way to talk about someone's language ability.

Reflecting on Thuy's Time in Vietnam

Two days shy of exactly seven months ago, Thuy and I landed in Vietnam with the intent of doing a tiny bit of good in the world while embarking on our own adventures as a still somewhat newly married couple. At the risk of sounding terribly cliche, we never expected to collect such a wide range of experiences. Many good, some a bit challenging, all life affirming.

Thus, watching Thuy walk through the airport doors was tough. We did this trip together. Without her, I know I wouldn't be pouring my heart out on this here blog.

If you've met Thuy, then you'll know that she's a very humble person who will most likely never bring up some of the awesome things that she's done in her life. Since Thuy is about to board her flight and will be without internet for the next 17 hours, I'm going to take this chance to gush about what she accomplished during her time here in Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines. If she doesn't bring any of this up when you see her, feel free to do so yourself.

What It's Like Filming a T.V. Show in VN (and Becoming a Megastar...sike j/k)

Around January of this year a fellow salsa friend, Gary, introduced me to his friend, Alex. Alex was looking for Vietnamese-speaking foreigners to host his T.V. show, and Gary was kind enough to think of me as a potentially good fit. A few emails and one meeting with Alex at Highlands Coffee later, I was invited to host my first show for Việt Nam Đất Nước Tôi Yêu (The Vietnam that I Love).

At its core, VNĐNTY is a reality travel show that highlights interesting nuances about Vietnamese life, culture, and society. The show runs for 10 minutes and airs on HTV 7 (the number on your TV set will differ by location) on Fridays at 10:30 PM.

I took a few photos while filming my first show to document and share the experience. Here's what the process of filming a show has been like.

We're Coming Home

It's unfortunately been a while since my last post. My writing and podcasts dropped off shortly after the One Body Village mission trip and Tet holiday, which is coincidentally right when I started taking Vietnamese classes and we started taking Muay Thai and singing classes together, the first two of which consumed my evenings and other gaps of free time, times normally dedicated to writing posts.

Lame excuse. I foresee more writing in the future now that our contract with OBV is complete.

As the title of this post suggests, Thuy and I will be coming home later this year. If you know me, then you know that I have a self-imposed requirement to make explanations more drawn out than is otherwise necessary.

Please indulge me while I provide color to the story.

The Doll Experiment: Barangay 105, Choosing Blonde Over Black

During the final clinic of our last day of the Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission in Tacloban, I happened upon a young Filipina who chose a blonde-haired figurine over a black-haired one. This reminded me of the Dr. Clark Doll Experiment conducted back in the late 1930's.

What does this young girl's choice in hair color say about how she perceives herself?

VHMM Day 5, Part 2 - Mission Complete (Barangay 105)

Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission
Day 5, Part 2

VHMM Day 5, Part 1 - Going Awry (Barangay 12)

Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission
Day 5, Part 1

VHMM Day 4, Part 2 - Deep Appreciation (Barangay 70)

Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission
Day 4, Part 2

VHMM Day 4, Part 1 - Storm Surge (Salvacion, Sagkahan)

Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission
Day 4

VHMM Day 3, Part 2 - Sad Pasko (Costa Brava, Ship Graveyard)

Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission
Day 3, Part 2

VHMM Day 3, Part 1 - Dead Bodies (Sitio Kataisan, Fisherman's Village)

Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission
Day 3, Part 1

VHMM Day 2 - Getting in the Groove (Alangalang, Santa Fe, Dulag)

Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission
Day 2

VHMM Day 1, Part 1 - Drinking from a Firehose

Vietnamese Houston Medical Mission
Day 1, Part 1

The first half of the day felt like we were drinking from a firehose. There was a lot going on at one time, but we all pulled together to help out around 350 patients in the town of Tabango.

My Visit to Agape International Missions (AIM)

During our most recent visit to Cambodia, I went on a tour of Agape International Missions' facilities in Svey Pak. When it comes to fighting sex trafficking and creating a strong program for rehabilitation and reentry into regular society, AIM is absolutely killing it. Here's how this visit and our day unfolded.

Update on Medical Mission Trip to Tacloban, Philippines (Part 3)

We're only a few more days away from the start of our medical mission trip to Tacloban, Philippines.

We're excited for what is shaping up to be a well-organized and coordinated outreach effort to assist those still very much in need of help after Typhoon Haiyan.

Here's an update from Fr. Anthony.

Difficult Changes, Situations Facing the OBV Vietnam Girls

The closer I get to girls of the OBV Vietnam house, the more privy I am to their personal stories, which in turn makes me feel that much more responsible for their safety.

It's a bitter pill to swallow when I find out that a couple of the girls are taken from or decide on their own volition to leave the OBV house, or when I hear that the father of one of the girls who sexually abused her is about to be released from prison in a year.

Here are a few updates on some of the lives of the girls of the OBV Vietnam house. Names withheld for obvious reasons, etc. etc.

Update on Medical Mission Trip to Tacloban, Philippines (Part 2)

Here's an update we received on our upcoming one-week medical mission trip to Tacloban, Philippines.

Prostitution Investigation Recap (HCMC, Dec 30, 2013)

My report to Fr. Martino and OBV leadership about my undercover prostitution investigation in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, conducted on Monday, December 30, 2013.

11 Ways Tet Is Similar to Christmas

If you ask a Vietnamese person how important Tet (the Lunar New Year) is or what transpires during this time, you may often get a response that sounds something like "it's our Christmas."

After hearing this a few times, I put some thought into it and learned that there are, in fact, quite a number of--albeit incidental or coincidental--similarities between the two holidays.

So, if you're new to the Lunar New Year holiday, here's a chart to help you understand what a Vietnamese friend means when they compare the general nuances of Tet to those of Christmas.

We're Joining Fr. Tam/Anthony's Medical Mission Trip to Tacloban, Phillipines

These past few months in Vietnam have felt a bit like playing my favorite video game series, Final Fantasy.

Our main quest is the work that we're doing for One Body Village. However, every now and then we get a request or receive an opportunity to join in what the RPG world might call a "side quest."

Our first side quest was to learn about and report on the Mai Am Phan Sinh Francis Shelter. Since then, two new side quests popped up: Delivering toys to an orphanage in central Vietnam, and joining a week-long mission trip to Tacloban, Philippines. The latter of the two was solidified a few days ago when we purchased our flights to Manila.

Details of this mission trip to Tacloban are still developing as I'm writing this post. Here's what I know so far.

Prostitution Investigation Recap (Phnom Penh, Dec 04, 2013)

I've been asked to refrain from posting anything about my undercover prostitution investigations until after the annual mission trip in January 2014 had concluded. Now that the mission trip is complete, I wanted to share with you another side of my work with OBV...something that I can't really use on LinkedIn.

My first two work areas for OBV are teaching the OBV Vietnam and Cambodian girls Krav Maga and assisting OBV with marketing and communications. My third work area involves performing undercover prostitution investigations.

OBV Mission Trip - Daily Team Reflections (Day 01)

At the end of each day of the One Body Village mission trip, Fr. Martino likes to collect the members for a short moment of reflection.

[Podcast] #11 - Oh We Fancy Now

We're movin' on up!

Jesse reviews his "Vietnamese Women in Vietnam Aren't Homewreckers" blog post, which makes us wonder why some (SOME, not all) Vietnamese-American men might stray when they visit Vietnam by themselves.

Two new segments! Jesse and Thuy debuts "Step It Up...Vietnamese Men in Vietnam" to explore why the only responses to Jesse's language practice invitation have come from Vietnamese women, and "So Seattle" to share why Jesse's been crushing on a tiny, obscure, non-smoking cafe in Ho Chi Minh City.

Enjoy our new intro and exit music, and subscribe to us on iTunes!

"A Miserable Persons' Servant:" Visiting the Mai Am Phan Sinh Francis Shelter

At the suggestion of Mr. Binh, Director for the One Body Village Vietnam office, on Thursday, December 26, my wife and I visited the Mai Am Phan Sinh Francis Shelter in Dong Nai Province.

The purpose of this trip was to deliver the financial donation and collection of medicines provided by Dang and Lindy and by Valerie and Kalid respectively, and to better understand what the Francis Shelter does and who they help.

In all honesty, this visit was one of the more difficult experiences to absorb. Mr. Chau, the founder and director of the Francis Shelter, can definitely claim to be doing the Lord's work.

This post will include stories, photos, and videos of what we saw.

Please note that a few of the visuals in this blog are very graphic. Please view at your own discretion.

[Podcast] Week in Review, Episode 10

We took an unexpected two weeks off for the holiday season (translated: "We forgot to do the podcast"). Welcome to our first podcast of 2014!

Vietnamese Women in Vietnam Aren't Homewreckers

Before we left for Vietnam, my wife and about seven Vietnamese-American friends all gave the same warning: "Vietnamese women are going to try to steal you away from your wife."

The more I was told this, the more I was taken aback. I tried to explain otherwise because I felt like that was a very strong statement to make. As well-intentioned as they wanted to be, most of those who gave me this warning claimed that I was wrong, that I was naive, and that I "just didn't know" how things worked in Vietnam because I neither Vietnamese nor born in Vietnam.

Having been here for a few months, I figured that it was high time to explore the stereotype of the "Vietnamese homewrecker."